Congressman on Soldier Reactivation

July 1, 2004 at 8:28 PM EST - Updated June 28 at 10:31 AM

Former enlisted soldiers and officers might soon be recalled to active duty. The Pentagon is reactivating more than 5,600 soldiers to deploy them to either Iraq or Afghanistan. The former enlisted soldiers and officers who didn't serve eight years of active duty top the list.

With the thin military presence in the Middle East, government officials say it's a problem and we need all the help we can get. Congressman Max Burns (R-GA Dist. 12) told us, "They have skills and those skills are needed now by their country and that was part of their commitment as a part of the all-volunteer Army. Again I think the way to solve the problem is to give us a standing Army that meets the needs around the globe, right now we're a little bit short."

These soldiers will start to receive their official recall notices sometime next week.